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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
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Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
Published on: November 11, 2011
Handedness in captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla)
Rebecca M Harrison1, Pia Nystrom
1Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET, UK. R.M.Harrison@Sheffield.ac.uk
Primates; Journal of Primatology
|March 13, 2010
Summary
Gorilla handedness studies reveal no consistent preference, suggesting species-level right-handedness is unique to humans. This research aids understanding of handedness evolution and its link to human language and cognition.
Area of Science:
- Primate behavior
- Evolutionary psychology
- Comparative cognition
Background:
- Species-level right-handedness is often cited as a key human trait.
- Handedness influences the evolution of language and cognitive abilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate handedness patterns in gorillas (Gorilla gorilla).
- To assess if gorillas exhibit species-level hand preferences.
- To contribute to understanding the evolution of handedness and its link to human uniqueness.
Main Methods:
- Observation of handedness in 22 captive gorillas across routine daily behaviors.
- Analysis of hand preferences for various motor tasks.
Main Results:
- Ten out of 22 gorillas showed no hand preference for any behavior.
- Most gorillas with preferences favored only a single behavior.
- No consistent species-level handedness was observed in the study group.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that species-level handedness is a uniquely human characteristic.
- This research provides insights into the evolutionary divergence of handedness between humans and other primates.
- Further studies on handedness can illuminate the evolution of human language and cognition.
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